


D--> For You (in Word and Deed)

by Anonymous



Category: Homestuck
Genre: Childhood Friends, F/M, Fluff, Flush Crush, Frogs, Pre-Canon
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-29
Updated: 2020-03-29
Packaged: 2021-02-28 18:46:43
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,199
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23361931
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/
Summary: A first meeting for Aradia and Equius - and a small battle with the dictates of both fate and a bunch of ghosts.
Relationships: Aradia Megido/Equius Zahhak
Comments: 2
Kudos: 8
Collections: Homestuck Shipping Olympics 2011, anonymous





	D--> For You (in Word and Deed)

**Author's Note:**

> Written for a round of the Ship Olympics where you made works inspired by other HSO entries. This one is based on the art [D--> For You](https://hso-r1.livejournal.com/5503.html). Which unfortunately now has "Photobucket" all over it, but I couldn't find an alt version.

* * *

  
  
When they met in person, they said the code words that they'd arranged over chat, to confirm they were themselves, then discovered that together, they were comfortable playing in silence. Except that Aradia did hum (it made Equius's ears flick), and Equius did raise enormous splashes in the stream (which made the frogspawn glop into defensive formations and the grown-up frogs lop nervously away from the water, all of which Aradia studied with interest).

One of his splashes raised a plume of both water and stone fragments. They both watched it reach an impressive height.

With a hand up to shield herself from the patter of debris, Aradia turned to him and said, "I'm going to be a frog one day."

"Oh."

It was interesting to see Equius blush. It sure wasn't the kind of blood a ghost manifested! Did AG - Vriska, he'd said - blush the same?

Aradia couldn't go find out, though the cliffs where their hives stood weren't that far away. Her lusus and the ghosts always kept her from going to AG and her lusus, though they were OK about the two of them chatting about roleplay.

She watched Equius's face carefully to make up for being unable to satisfy her curiosity. "That's why I'm here," she told him. "To get to know better what frogs are like."

"If ... I may say... which I may, of course. I'm always allowed. I learned about that." Equius nodded to himself, then glanced at her, and then looked at his feet. "Don't say things that are foolish ... they make you look foolish too. That thing about becoming a frog is very foolish."

"It is," Aradia said. "I don't really get it. But I'm psychic--"

"Lowbloods usually are," he said eagerly.

"I knew that. I read it! You're not the only one who knows stuff." She gave him a stern look that made him get embarrassed, squelching his toes in the muddy bank. "I'm psychic, and I hear the voices of the dead. They told me I'm going to be a frog one day. And I also know it's silly. My voices don't play tricks - they're not good at having fun at all - but this makes me wonder if they're learning how to."

Aradia straightened, causing the frog she was watching to leap away in alarm, and propped her hands on her hips to give the air around her a glare. The dead weren't manifesting tonight, however. They liked ruins better than ponds.

"That's nice. Not the trick, if it really is a trick," he said. "It must be interesting getting to know people from long ago and getting to learn about our history..."

She grinned at him and held up the hem of her skirt so she could walk through the shallow water and over to the bank. "It is! That's my favourite thing."

"It's one of my favourite things too. And being STRONG."

Aradia smiled politely. "I guess being strong is OK too."

"Thank ... thank you!" He wiped his hands on his shirt, jerked when there was a ripping sound, and then hid them behind his back.

She would have told him not to be embarrassed, but knew from the way that Nitram kid on her adventure roleplay acted that it would probably make him more embarrassed. She just went to stand beside him to continue the conversation.

"I'm really going to try not to be a frog. They say it won't be for long, but I'm going to avoid it at all costs! Frogs are gross."

"Frogs are nature's creatures," Equius objected. "They have been made to fit into their place in nature and are perfect for it. That's - that's not gross, it's amazing."

"But it's such a slimy place in nature!"

"They are STRONG jumpers. And their colours are nice, and their tongues are pretty cool. "

Aradia folded her arms and thought about it, looking out over the pond and listening to the croaking all around them. "OK. It's nice for a frog to be a frog. But not for a troll to be one."

"That--that sounds acceptable. And, and most sensible. You're clever."

"You're OK too!" She grinned and then stepped away and gave him a little wave. "I have to go. My hive is a further away than yours, and there isn't much shelter from the sun close to it. I can't risk being outside during daybreak, even with this awesome hat."

Aradia went to the bush where she'd put her shoes and socks. Equius didn't speak while she put them on, although he was watching her. He smiled back when she smiled at him, but it practically looked like it was hard for him to do. Weird.

"Goodbye," he said at last when she gave another wave and started walking away.

"I'll tell you when I come back for another investigation," she called back. He gaped at her, downright shocked, and then gave a much nicer smile. Maybe he needed practice.

*

He was late the next time. She'd thought he'd decided not to come. "Hi, Equius."

He stayed on the side of the pond again, hands behind his back. "Hello."

"Guess what? I found out that one of my other friends also likes frogs."

"You do? I think ... that is very sensible of your friend."

"He likes a lot of other animals too. Most of them, really." Aradia narrowed her eyes at a placid, fat sort of frog sitting by a lily. It did look satisfied being as it was, and that was a nice, bright shade of green.

"Very sensible. Um. Then I ... I'm your friend?"

"If you want. It's nice to be friends, and I already have your chump handle. And at least you helped me to be OK with the frog thing."

"Then. Then if we are that well acquainted, then this really is all right," said Equius. "I am allowed to do this. Of course."

Aradia didn't reply, busy going after a frog. Their eyes were cool ... it was kind of cute.

She did look up when Equius started walking into the water. Good! It was more fun that way. He wasn't making awesome splashes this time, though, picking his way carefully and softly.

"For you."

Another frog. A _metal frog_.

"Made it," said Equius. "For ... you..."

It was really interesting to see him blush. Beads of sweat kind of exploded onto his face!

"If you were a frog - you could be a frog more like this. Not slimy. Very ... nice and clean ... easy to polish... Not you for the last one, but this frog..."

"It would be even weirder to be a robot frog!"

He _drooped_.

This kind of thing was why Vriska looked like an interesting person to get to know better - Aradia didn't have friends she could really tease. "But not much weirder than turning into a frog in the first place," she assured him. "Thank you very much."

He looked up scared, like she might not mean it. Then he gave the nice smile again, and as she looked closer at the frog - it was well made! - she gave him, to her own surprise, what felt like a really nice one of her own.


End file.
